Tardy Teacher Blames Breakfast for 111 Latenesses

Maybe it’s time to consider switching to something simple, like Pop-Tarts? A New Jersey elementary school teacher who was at risk of termination after being late to work 111 times over the past two school years blamed breakfast for his repeated tardiness.

When asked by the Associated Press about his lateness, Arnold Anderson, a math teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School, responded, “I have a bad habit of eating breakfast in the morning, and I lost track of time.” You can tell he teaches math and not English because that sentence definitely misrepresents which of his habits is truly the “bad” one.

After arriving late 46 times last school year and 65 times the year before, the 14-year teaching veteran was in danger of getting fired, but an arbitrator ruled that he should be allowed to return to his job after an unpaid suspension ends in January. Though the arbitrator didn’t find Anderson’s excuses persuasive, he also felt that the teacher deserved “progressive discipline” over being canned.

For his part, Anderson told the AP, “I have to cut out eating breakfast at home.” Just in case, I wouldn’t recommend eating out for breakfast either.